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How do you control your legend?

Ok so another thread sparked this question in my head. For those of you that have been around for awhile... The legend is 46" wide. The tubes are 15 inch in diameter. If you put the oarlock in the center of the tube at 7.5 inches that leaves 31" oarlock to oarlock. Devide that by 2 and that leaves 15.5" for leverage from the oarlock to the end of the oar. Not much leverage. How do you do it? Shorter oars? Even then still not much leverage. Are they better suited for kayak paddles? In Larrys videos he uses a kayak paddle for his Kork and his Legend. Whats your preference? Why?

There's some talk about using Buck Bags Pontoon frame on the Kork, perhaps it could be modified for the Legend. I have the Kork and will be experimenting with the Frame, as it appears to be a doable option.

There's some talk about using Buck Bags Pontoon frame on the Kork, perhaps it could be modified for the Legend. I have the Kork and will be experimenting with the Frame, as it appears to be a doable option.

A couple of comments on this type of frame (we always called them "3-D" frames, because of the contour). I'm posting a photo of one of them to be sure we're talking about the same thing.

First, a history lesson (for what it's worth). As near as I can tell, the first whitewater raft frames were made of wood, with cross-pieces to link the side plates together. They worked okay, but were really heavy and I would imagine they had torque issues, with flexing and such. Then folks started making frames out of steel conduit. The pieces were welded together, and they drastically reduced the weight over wooden frames, and could be contoured to fit down inside the boat, which gave you a lowered foot bar and a way to nest coolers and such. They also provided a way to securely attach oarlocks or pins, depending on user preference. A variation on that theme was to cut and sleeve / pin the cross-bars so the frame could be broken down into smaller pieces. This makes it possible to use a 3-D frame on an Alaska fly-out trip, where it has to be loaded into the aircraft. Some flat frames are built with conduit as well (basically the top portion of the frame only, without the drop features). Whereas the true 3-D frames can be loaded into an aircraft, they still take up a lot of room, even when the side pieces are nested together. They can also make some noise as the pin holes become wowed-out a bit, and you can get clicking and some squeaks while you're rowing, sounds that can scare game away on float hunts.

Then Northwest River Supplies (NRS) came up with their "Lo-Pro" cast aluminum fittings, which made it possible to build a very strong frame out of 2" aluminum pipe. The first generation of these frames were not anodized, and your hands would become gray with aluminum dust if you handled them much. This was a result of the aluminum pipe oxidizing over time. NRS remedied this issue by switching to anodized pipe. They also reduced the size of the Lo Pro fittings to a narrower profile, reducing the overall weight of the frame.

A variation of the aluminum pipe frames built by NRS is the frames that use the same pipe, but instead of Lo-Pro fittings, Hollaender Speedrail fittings are used. Hollaender makes a variety of fittings, including elbows, intersection crossovers, crossover tees, tee fittings, couplers, and much more. This gives a user the ability to fabricate just about anything they want, without having to use specialized equipment or welders. All you really need is a hacksaw and a drill. Hollaenders are usually secured to the pipe via a set screw, but it's not a very tight connection. So some frame shops drill a hole completely through the fitting and the inserted pipe, and install a quick-release clevis pin instead. The downside of this system is that the pins are made of steel (stainless is best, because of rust), and the pipe is aluminum. Eventually the pins will ream out the holes a bit, and you'll get some slop in the frame, with associated clicks and noises that are telegraphed across the water. Here's a photo of a Hollaender fitting.

The downside of both aluminum pipe frames is weight. The long bars can be cut and sleeved / pinned to fit into an aircraft, but the overall frame is going to be heavier than a conduit frame.

I haven't been following conduit frames in a while, other than to note that some are no longer made with conduit, but are using cheap thin-wall aluminum instead. These frames often use push-button locking mechanisms to secure frame components together. I assume the reason these frames are being used with some manufacturers is to save weight. You often see them on the smaller boats. The biggest issue I see with these frames is strength and durability. The welds break, frame components are bent, and the push-buttons don't work as well over time.

Having said all that, I don't know anything about the quality of the Bucks Bags frames. Are they using cheap aluminum pot metal? Or are they using a stronger material? I would check that out before committing. Yes, you get a drastic reduction in weight, but at what price?

Pay attention to the angle of your oar locks, they should NOT be vertically positioned on the tops of your tubes. Instead, angle the oar lock towers 15 degrees outward and then check your oars.

The Cataract oars I sell with my raft designs have a special rope wrap that is closer to the handles so Oar Rights have slightly more adjustment. This allows us to get those grips from striking. The ones we sell mostly are 7.5'

44" beam width will be difficult to row comfortably, without extending the oar towers away from the tubes to accommodate the pivot point for the oars. The pivot point determines how much of the oar is outside the watercraft and inside the hull, which also determines the angle of water strike.

If you make a frame style platform you might find the cross bars make your legs cramped, so try to think of that problem when you create the frame.

The oar saddles for this boat and the Legend work functionally but not ideally on the Kork. The Kork doesn't need a row kit IMO because of its width, it's very responsive with a kayak paddle with or without a load.